Every Life Matters by Rick Warren

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)

All life is sacred. It is the mentality of “some lives matter more than others” that caused the Holocaust. That was the mentality of Hitler: “Some people are more important than others. So we’ll just wipe out the weak, the infirm, the aged, or people we disagree with.” Today we even see it in young couples that are expecting and hear, “We hate to tell you this, but your baby may have a birth defect.” And the couple starts considering abortion.

If everybody who had a defect were aborted, you would have been aborted. You have defects. Everybody is handicapped. You just don’t admit it. You have some emotional handicaps, and you have some fears you won’t even talk to your wife about. They scare you to death. You also have emotional handicaps, such as the idea that you’re not as smart as everybody else. And you have some physical handicaps. Have you learned that not everything in your body works? That’s why you’re not in the Olympics. We all have defects. We all have problems.

Who makes the decision that your defect isn’t big enough to get rid of? Do you know a family who has a special needs child — an autistic, mentally undeveloped, or physically handicapped child? Do they love that child less? No. They love that child more! The Bible says that God loves the weak, the infirm, the special needs person. We need them in our lives to learn unselfishness.

We must always protect the sanctity of life. Why? Because it reveals God’s purpose and shows God’s glory.

You are valuable, no matter who or what you are. So is every child.

The Bible tells us that God accepts responsibility for all our genetic defects. Did you know that? Not the problems in our lives we brought on ourselves because of overeating or smoking or drinking too much, but all the genetic weaknesses that you didn’t have any say in are all part of your SHAPE.

The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (NIV).

God accepts responsibility, because he has a bigger perspective than any human. He can see what you can’t see. And he loves each person he made for their potential to do the great things he has planned for us.

God isn’t going to compare you with anybody else. But he is going to compare you with your potential. It’s not my goal to be the best pastor in the world. I’m not even trying. It’s my goal to be the best pastor I can possibly be given the talent, background, opportunities, and gifts that God gave me. That’s what I’ll be evaluated on.